Outside the workshop, Bell and the others were discussing where to head next.
"If the Vice Captain wants to help Bell Cranel, why not just go to the lower floors and gather some materials herself?"
Tione was the first to ask.
For a Level 6 like Riveria, going into the Dungeon alone was hardly any trouble at all.
According to Finn's judgment, the Red-Haired Woman and Evilus had suffered heavy losses, so they would definitely lie low and recover for a while.
As long as Riveria did not go too deep, there would be no problem at all.
For her, bringing Bell along was completely unnecessary.
"I happened to accept a request from Tsubaki. I'm planning to hunt on the twenty-fifth floor and collect Drop Items."
Riveria slowly explained why she had invited him. "Bell Cranel has always been very lucky. If he comes with me, we might come across some rare metal."
"Argonaut-kun is lucky?"
Tiona blinked in confusion.
"I didn't know that either. How did the Vice Captain find out?"
Tione added quietly.
Riveria froze for a moment and did not answer their question. "Do you two still have time to be wandering around here?"
"Oh no, we'll just end up causing trouble for Ais and the others."
"Argonaut-kun, we're heading out first. Don't forget about the Hero Tale!"
The Amazon sisters waved as they left, and their backs soon vanished around the corner.
After the two of them were gone, Riveria turned to look at the boy and asked again,
"Bell Cranel, have you thought it through? We're going to the twenty-fifth floor. If we run into danger, I will protect you."
"Yeah, I'll be relying on you, Riveria-san."
Bell answered without hesitation.
If he had to describe the situation in terms outside an Adventurer's world, it felt like a woman inviting him out on a date, paying for everything, and taking care of him in every possible way.
Naturally, the boy was not going to refuse.
In fact, if it were not for a man's pride, Bell would have accepted Riveria's proposal long ago.
The sunlight was warm, and a gentle breeze brushed past them.
Beneath the blue sky, the two walked side by side toward the Dungeon.
…
The moss shimmered with a faint blue light, reflecting the graceful figure of the emerald-haired Elf.
Under Riveria's protection, the two passed through the twenty-fourth floor with ease.
"Riveria-san, your staff technique is amazing."
Bell spoke in quiet admiration.
The whole way there, Riveria had not chanted any magic. Instead, she used her wand to beat down monsters.
Her slender figure moved with only the lightest sweep, yet every monster that rushed at them fell to the ground wailing.
"It probably looks very crude in your eyes."
Riveria answered with a hint of self-mockery.
Her movements were like those of the former elf princess. Beneath that elegance was a free spirit with a faint trace of carelessness.
"How could it? Even if I searched through every word I know, I still could not describe how beautiful Riveria-san looks when she wields her wand."
Bell spoke with complete honesty.
Mage and staff strikes.
Princess and Adventurer.
Riveria had fused those completely mismatched styles together into a presence that belonged to her alone.
No matter which side of her one looked at, she was as beautiful and captivating as something out of a fairy tale.
"Even if you flatter me, you won't get anything out of it."
That was what Riveria said, but there was still a faint smile on her face.
On the way here, she had run into a group of elf Adventurers exploring the Dungeon.
Compared to the monsters, it was her fellow elves' words that stayed with Riveria far more strongly.
"Riveria-sama?!"
"She's actually with a human man?!"
"That person is Little Rookie..."
"N, no way. Did they come to the Dungeon in secret just to meet in private and avoid attention?!"
"That promiscuous human actually dares set his sights on the noble Riveria-sama? He must be punished!"
"They ran off. Hurry, chase them!"
"Ugh... we lost them..."
"Riveria-sama ran the moment she noticed us... maybe she had something important to do... we must have misunderstood."
Amid the elves' voices, Riveria and Bell ran together through the deep passageways.
Only after they had shaken off her fellow elves did Riveria stop and give Bell time to catch his breath.
Phosphorescence flickered around them as scarlet eyes and emerald eyes met for a brief moment.
Then, the two of them laughed at the same time.
"Riveria-san, it really seems like your everyday life is not easy..."
Bell said softly with a sigh.
"Bell Cranel, you grabbed me and ran without a word just now..."
Riveria's words carried a trace of reproach, but her tone and smile were the same as ever.
Even though the boy had only grabbed her wand and not her hand, he had still taken the lead.
"Those elves did not look like the kind of people you could reason with."
Bell smiled helplessly.
When dealing with people like fanatics, the best solution was to get away from them and cut off any chance of being dragged into their mess.
"I'm not going to apologize to you, you know. Kidnapping a princess comes at a price."
Riveria answered softly.
"But it was the princess herself who ran out and invited me. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
Bell replied jokingly.
"Hehe, that's just how unreasonable a princess can be."
Riveria repeated her own identity without the slightest concern.
She was a noble elf princess. Everyone in Orario knew that, and the boy definitely knew it too.
Riveria had always avoided that identity. The reverence of the elves was simply too much for her to bear.
But for some reason, when she was with the boy, saying the word princess came easily to her.
"Only a princess who just ran out of the forest would be that unreasonable."
Bell muttered under his breath.
"You'll just have to find a way to accept that."
Riveria showed an extremely rare mischievous smile.
She was already used to the suspicions of her fellow elves.
If she had stepped forward to explain, Riveria would have had to endure all their respectful words, and that would have cast a shadow over what should have been a pleasant trip through the Dungeon.
So the moment she heard the elves whispering, Riveria had unconsciously frowned.
The boy seemed to see right through her thoughts and made his decision immediately.
That was why he had grabbed Riveria's wand without hesitation and run straight ahead.
A solution like that might make the elves even more suspicious, stirring up rumors and judgment.
But Riveria liked that feeling of freedom very much.
"Hey, I might end up getting threatening letters. As the princess, shouldn't you step forward and clear things up?"
Bell had already thought about the consequences.
Even so, he still did not want to see that shadow on Riveria's face.
On that beauty that surpassed even the Gods, what belonged there was a smile like the one she wore now.
"I'm only an ordinary Adventurer. I don't know any princess you're talking about."
Riveria switched identities with effortless ease.
The scenery before them kept changing.
Phosphorescence, crystals, moss...
The light shifted again and again.
The emerald hair reflected in it was gentle at times, vivid at others.
Only the faint smile that appeared from time to time never changed.